Album: Ravi Coltrane, Spirit Fiction (Blue Note)

The Blue Note debut by saxophonist Coltrane (yes, the son of Alice and John, who died when Ravi was two) can be as frustratingly tentative as his first outing for RCA 15 years ago.

It's partly what's happened to US jazz, with lateral noodling replacing forward momentum, but by splitting the 11 tracks between two bands, plus co-producer Joe Lovano, any line of development falters. Things do heat up, with drummer Eric Harland stoking the fires, but there's no big flame.